Best Practices to Optimize Your Access Management
Published on : August 28, 2022
What are some of the best practices for access management?
- Evaluate and optimize your systems
- Collect and analyze visitor’s data
- Align visitor access management with the security
- Centralize user management
- Perform regular access control systems testing
Access management and control is a security method that controls and limits access to certain spaces in the office. It aims to protect the safety of the employees, management, and the company’s assets. Offices should implement the best practices for access management to ensure a safe and secure workplace. It’s not enough to have trusted security at the front desk. They should work hand-in-hand with this system to keep track of the high volume of people daily.
Many buildings already implement various forms of access control. These are the different ways of providing access to authorized workers in the form of key cards, passwords or pins, biometrics, and even facial recognition.
This article tackles some practices you can implement for your office to ensure you are making the most of your current management system. These can also help you reevaluate if you’ll be needing to put up stricter protocols and controls. Keep on reading to learn more!
Evaluate and optimize your systems
Take a look at your current access management system and check whether it is performing important daily tasks.
It can be easy to purchase a system with loads of physical features, but it should also be able to perform its tasks on the back-end. Is it implemented in all areas? Does it segregate the people who have access to certain areas?
If it doesn’t perform essential tasks, find an access management system that guarantees the best form of security for your building. It should be able to streamline visitor management, door access, time & attendance, and many more.
Collect and analyze visitor’s data
For security purposes, your guards must always collect visitors’ information before they enter the premises. This helps them identify who exactly they’re letting in the office and why. It can also help them validate if the purpose of guests coming in.
Consider collecting the following information from guests:
- Name and contact information
- Sign in time and date
- Department or employee they’re visiting
- The staff member responsible for visitor
However, you should not just let them write this in any log book. Paper can easily be misplaced, torn, and stolen if left unguarded. Digitizing this system secures all files in a cloud to which only the security and administration have access to.
This can be done by implementing a visitor management system. Not only does this keep a record of your visitor’s data, but it also helps in analyzing security patterns you might have missed. It records denied attempts and potential insider threats for you to look back on.
Align visitor access management with the security
The security guards and officers are the front liners at work. They are able to see with their eyes who are going in and out of the building, whether they are guests or employees. Because of that, it’s important for them to be familiar with the management system in place.
As they learn how to properly use the system, it must be explained how it aligns with their security goals. Both the personnel and the system work hand-in-hand in ensuring maximum protection in the office.
Centralize user management
Keep things simple by implementing a centralized user management system. This saves a lot of time and simplifies things for security and administration.
For security, a centralized system means that access management is all streamlined in one place. It will be easier to secure all important checkpoints in the access. In one system, it’s possible to restrict access to certain locations while easily welcoming guests to designated areas.
With a centralized system, you don’t need to worry about accessing different systems for both guests and visitors. It will also help the IT team keep just one database for everyone entering the building.
The Matrix V Integrated Security Management system is a centralized system that incorporates building management, visitor management, door access, and many more into one management system. It’s designed to meet advanced security needs that can be used in corporate offices.
Perform regular access control systems testing
All kinds of systems need to be tested. There are routine inspections for your smoke alarms, so this should also be done for your access control systems.
Make sure that access control is working well in the office by checking if devices are functioning as expected. Test out key cards, biometrics, and even pins to check if they’re functioning right. Give special attention to door alarms since these alert you of break-ins.
Testing can be done monthly to maximize your safety protocols.
Key Takeaway
The office should be a safe place for both employees and guests. That’s why it’s important to implement the best practices for access management. These help minimize possible threats and ensure that people feel welcomed in a secure office environment.
If you want to learn more about access management solutions and how they can help your office, contact ELID today. We will be happy to provide a consultation and discuss how this can help you and the security of your workplace.